Francisco Tario

Francisco Peláez Vega (December 2, 1911 - December 30, 1977), known by his pen name Francisco Tario, was a Mexican writer. Tario became a cult writer known for his surrealistic, grotesque and fantastic literature. His work has been compared by critics to the work of Juan José Arreola, Juan Rulfo, and Emil Cioran.

Life and career Life Tario was born Francisco Peláez Vega on December 2, 1911, in Mexico City, the son of immigrants from Asturias. Tario's father was a grocery store owner. His brother was the painter Antonio Peláez.

In 1930, Tario met Carmen Farell and married her in 1935. The couple had two sons, Sergio and Julio.

Besides being a writer, Tario had multiple interests throughout his life: he was a football goalkeeper for the Mexican team Asturias F.C., amateur astronomer, and pianist. He also owned three movie theaters in Acapulco.

Career Tario is generally considered a marginal author because he did not form part of any literary movement or join any literary group. He was unknown for many years. He wrote short stories, novels and plays. He has been compared to Juan Rulfo for the personal world he invented for his writings, as well as for the characteristics of his characters, who nevertheless have their own originality. His themes encompass man's sensory limitations in perceiving the vastness of the world around him, but without losing sight of the sense of humour, the appearance of the unusual, the extravagant and the grotesque, which distance him from the traditionalism of other authors, which is why he is considered a precursor of Mexican fantastic narrative in the 1950s.

In most of the stories in his first collection (1943; English: "The Night"), he uses objects and animals to tell the story from their point of view and, when it comes to human beings, they are alienated beings, on the verge of madness or even death, insofar as they are ghosts, who may be unaware that they are ghosts, as in the case of (English: "The Night of Margaret Rose").

Works Short story collections La noche (1943) Tapioca Inn (1952) Una violeta de más (1968)

Novels Aquí abajo (1943) Jardín secreto (1993; posthumous)

Plays El caballo asesinado y otras piezas teatrales (1988; posthumous)

Anthologies La noche del féretro y otros cuentos de la noche (1958)

Miscellaneous writings Equinoccio (1946) La puerta en el muro (1946) Yo de amores qué sabía (1950) Breve diario de un amor perdido (1951) Acapulco en el sueño. Con fotografías de Lola Álvarez Bravo (1951)